The Haunted
by The Placeholder One-derdogs
Summary: AU. Until death and beyond, may we never part.
1. Prologue

**The Haunted**

**Author's Note: **This is a collaboration story by Team Schadenfreude, written for AoGA House Cup 2013.

* * *

**Prologue. Salutation – 92 words**

_Dear Reader,_

_The story you are about to peruse was adapted from the annals of Christheaven Asylum. This is a singular case, both scientific and bizarre, and has become one of the most celebrated studies in the prefecture. There were several deaths involved and two of them remain unexplained. _

_Should you wish to read further, let us only declare that you have been forewarned for many that have pursued this research were changed evermore._

_Nonetheless, to the brave, the foolish and the curious, we enjoin you to read on._

_We remain,_

_Schadenfreude_


	2. In Dreams

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 1. In Dreams – 1010 words**

Through the fluttering curtains that frame his window, he stares, transfixed at the shadows that shift into different shapes as they mould into one in a lazy dance beneath the hazy glow of the moon. Somewhere in the far corners of his mind, he can hear his doctor's disapproving voice, scolding him for letting the draft in, but he easily pushes it away, letting sleep take him away.

Narumi transitions into the world of dreams almost the instant his eyes close. His consciousness is seized and is thrown into a surreal world, filled with a myriad of colours. Moving pictures seem to attack him all at once and yet the chaos it inspires proves to be soothing. He watches his past catch up with him. He sees his future come to a grinding halt. He stays in limbo, a halfway house for all persons whose sanity is already one step out the door.

In this static, yet strangely threatening place, Narumi finds that he cannot escape, for a familiar voice pervades his blissful cocoon. It is sweet, melodic and yet ever so distant. It stands as a painful reminder of his first and only love, now lost to death. He thinks of her constantly. She is impossible to forget. She is there when he sleeps. She is there in every waking moment of his life. For almost a year now, he has existed with her and it is her voice that calls to him.

In gentleness. In earnest. In agony.

In this world, his emotions are relentlessly bittersweet, so much that he could taste them in his mouth. It makes him wonder whether the eternally changing scene around him and the soothing voice in his ear are really part of a dream, or if he is wide awake and keening. He feels his senses move in and out of wakefulness, like a sleep-drugged mind fighting off the medication.

The vividness of the colourful waves blinds him. His saliva fails to rid his mouth of the strange taste. The murky air around him causes goosebumps on his skin. He is convulsing in his sleep and that's when he knows she has trapped him again.

"_Narumi…"_

The voice of his love rings in his head with a chilling clarity he cannot explain. It has followed him again to the waking world, as it always does. The guilt returns and the questions begin pouring in, lining themselves up, then crashing together to obliterate his reason.

_Why had he not been there sooner?_

_Could he have stopped it?_

_Had he truly wanted to save her?_

The voice in his head is laughing now. She taunts him, even as his senses skyrocket towards insanity. His world view warps against his will. Something inside him changes. He is no longer the man he once was. The whereabouts of that person is unknown to him. He'd left him stranded— alone in a forgotten place, while the rest of him followed that haunting voice. It was always calling and he was weak against it.

"_Narumi…"_

He hears her screams, her frightening pleas for help.

_Why had he not gone back?_

_Why had he turned away?_

There was fire where he stood. The flash and burn was tangible on his back. He could see everything. He could hear her in the room. Her high pitched cries and tortured face. He betrayed her and he didn't know what to do because he survived.

_Why had he been so selfish?_

He had left her to die, fearing for his own life.

_Had self-preservation really mattered more to him than the one he loved?_

He had turned away without a backward glance.

_How could he have walked away if he had loved her that much?_

When the questions bring him successfully to the brink of madness, the view around him shifts again. All of a sudden, the mystic scene twists and morphs into a place that he recognises. He is standing on the remains of a white ceramic vase. A desperate woman is kneeling in front of him, sobbing as though her heart was breaking. The shards are piercing her knees.

"_Narumi!_"

The voice calls out to him, pained and desperate.

"_Don't leave me!_"

The screams echo in the confines of his mind. He is tortured by the sight of his lover burning to ashes. He wishes his mind could be torched as well. He sees her expression before she expires. He sees the agonising mix of despair and betrayal as though she knew all along that he would do this. The next scream he hears is his own.

"_Narumi._"

She is gone but the shrieking continues in his head. Sometimes he thinks it's over. Sometimes he thinks she would have wanted him to live on. But when he remembers that last piercing glare, he knows that he is lying to himself. All the decisions he had ever made concerning her resulted to disaster. She was destroyed by his treacherous actions. He was self-destructing as a tragic consequence.

"_Narumi…_"

The voice speaks directly in his ear. A cold kiss is planted on his cheek. Narumi is jolted from his restless sleep. He snaps up on the bed, disturbed by the loud noise that had come from his bedroom window. He sees a familiar form.

Perched on the windowsill is a woman in a white sundress, the thin material of which barely covers her knees. Scars are visible just beneath the hem as she kicks her legs against the wall. Her long brown hair frames her small, pale face and her features have an unhealthy pallor. Her dull amber eyes are focused on the bed, chilling the person occupying it to the bone.

She wears a malevolent smile. _"My Narumi…"_

At the sight of her, Narumi doubles over. As if he wasn't insane or delirious enough, he passes out, back into the world of dreams to relive his endless nightmare.

* * *

_Somewhere far away, there was music._

_And the music never grew faint._

_Somewhere far away, there was laughter._

_But the laughter faded away._


	3. Ghosts in the Room

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 2. Ghosts in the Room – 510 words**

Misaki walks into the room carrying a glass of water. An ornate box is tucked on his side. Before he could take another step, he sees someone who should not be there. She is standing by Narumi's side with a small hand on his frail shoulder. She is trailing her fingers along his back. He feels the hair on his nape stand on end. His hand grows numb and he drops the glass he is holding, whereas his grip on the box grows tighter. The glass shatters into a million crystal pieces on the floor. He blinks a few times then rubs his eyes before staring at the apparition in front of him.

The woman looks back and sends him a chilling smile. Misaki gazes at her once bright eyes now filled with loneliness and sorrow and something inside him quakes.

"_Hello, Misaki,"_ the ghost whispers, running her fingers through her hair. _"It's been a while."_

Misaki opens his mouth to speak but he finds himself unable to do so. He simply stands there, absolutely transfixed. His emotions are thrown into turmoil, threatening to explode like a geyser he could never contain.

"_Do you have nothing to say to me?"_

He steps towards the phantom but she is slowly fading out of view. He hears a crunching sound and finally realizes that he had dropped the water glass and that the shards were digging into his shoes. He sets the box on the floor then squats down to pick up the broken pieces one by one. He knows that he is buying time and adamantly denying what is in front of him.

"_You foolish boy."_

On an impulse, Misaki wounds himself with a shard of broken glass, and then watches his blood come out and form a small drop on the tip of his finger. The pain is real. This must be real.

His head shoots up again but the spectre is gone. The blood from his wound drips to the ground, staining the carpet crimson. The whole damn incident leaves him shivering. Telling himself that it must have been a hallucination after all, he gets up and approaches Narumi's still figure.

"Narumi?" He shakes his friend's shoulder, but he receives no reaction from the unconscious man. "Narumi, come on, wake up."

"_Narumi…_"

He trembles when another voice calls his friend. He spins around but there is no one there. He hears nothing but echoes of footfalls through the open door. He wonders and doubts his senses. He knows he is not alone and yet—

Narumi finally stirs and slowly sits up. Misaki tries to assist him but his friend evades the touch, as though he is afraid of contaminating him with a dreadful illness. Narumi's eyes move to a corner of the room. Misaki's gaze follows but the corner is empty and he knows his friend is once again losing lucidity. A name escapes his lips.

"Yuka."

* * *

_She brought him love and joy._

_She took it all away._

_He brought her peace and kindness._

_ He never meant to stay._


	4. Interlude 1

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Interlude 1: Medical Report - Yuka and Narumi – 519 words**

**Medical Report:**

Date: 28th September, 2011  
Time: 1540 hours

Written By: Dr. Makoto Hyuuga

Patient: Yuka Azumi

Miss Yuka Azumi was admitted to Christheaven Asylum on the 27th of September. Previously diagnosed with persistent Hypermania, her current symptoms indicate Manic-Depressive Disorder (MDD), also known as Bipolar Disorder (BD).

The preceding psychiatrist handling this case issued medication to combat initial symptoms of long-term insomnia and a general state of mania. A prolonged period of intense depression followed by a suicide attempt occurred two months after the initial consultation. These facts have led us to believe that the initial diagnosis (refer to attached report) may be inaccurate.

Miss Azumi was found with her wrists slit on the afternoon of the 29th of July with her boyfriend, Narumi L. Anju. After treatment and a period of hospitalisation, she was recommended to Christheaven for further treatment for an apparent psychological disorder.

After she came in for her initial consultation on the 26th of September, various tests along with a psychological profile confirmed to be matching that of a victim of Bipolar Disorder, we have changed her initial diagnosis to one of MDD/BD.

Severe self-harm tendencies and a highly unstable personality have led us to admit Miss Azumi for further observation. Institutionalisation will last until we believe she is stable, whereupon she is free to leave the asylum, and return to her normal life, with medication. Therapy sessions will begin on the 30th of September, 2011 in the meanwhile.

At the time of this report, Miss Azumi has been admitted to a ward in the North Wing of the Christheaven Asylum. She is currently stable and sedated. Any additional details about Miss Azumi will be discussed in further reports after treatment is administered.

Of note is her partner, Narumi L. Anju, who suffers from clinical depression. He was admitted into the institution in August 2011. Further details will be discussed in his own personal report, attached in the Annex of this document.

Miss Azumi has been granted permission to attend joint therapy sessions with Mister Anju because both patients appear more receptive in each other's presence. However, monthly individual sessions are still required.

-Dr. H.

* * *

**Annex:**

Medical Report:

Date: 7th August 2011

Time: 1350 hours

Written By: Dr Makoto Hyuuga

Patient: Narumi L. Anju

Mister Narumi L. Anju was referred to Christheaven asylum after initial symptoms of Clinical Depression (CD) were diagnosed by his family doctor on the 1st of August, 2011.

Mister Anju had previously suffered from CD in his teenage years due to work-related stress as well as possible family problems. After medication was issued, and his CD was managed in 2005, he went six years without any relapse of his condition.

In the fallout of the suicide attempt of his girlfriend, Miss Yuka Azumi, the relapse of his CD brought him to consult Christheaven's resident psychiatrist, Dr. Makoto Hyuuga. He was admitted shortly after due to increasingly disruptive episodes.

Mister Narumi is currently on antidepressants to help him cope with his condition. Monthly consultations with a therapist or a psychiatrist are also required.

Recommendations may change upon further observation.

-Dr. H.


	5. The Lunatic

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 3. The Lunatic – 605 words**

Yuka flinches slightly at the mention of her name and she straightens, letting Narumi get a good look at her. There is a whisper of a smile on her lips, but her eyes betray her even as a ghost. Yuka's eyes hold the same expression it did on that dreaded night. He could imagine her ghostly body set ablaze by the flames that had claimed her life.

"Narumi, what is it?" Misaki asks but he is deaf to him.

Narumi rises to his feet, knocking aside the hand Misaki offers. Yuka approaches him too.

_No one else can see me._

"I know."

"Know what?" Misaki reaches for his shoulder. "Narumi—"

But Narumi is no longer with him. He feels threatened. He is gripped by fear. In his mind, he is alone with Yuka. She is standing in front of him, far longer than she ever did before when he was awake. She is approaching him, talking to him. She is trying to trap him again. As the apparition approaches, Narumi suddenly lunges forward and strangles her, desperate to save himself from a danger he has yet to fathom. He squeezes hard then starts laughing when he feels his prey thrash about wildly against him.

Then a choked, male voice utters his name and his hold momentarily slackens. The shape before him transfigures and settles. Misaki is on the floor, clutching his neck and heaving to get air back into his lungs.

Narumi recoils in absolute terror as he stares at his friend's shaking form. He looks at his hands, realizing he has disgraced himself once more. Somewhere in the room, someone is still laughing and the mad joy it incites in him makes him weep. The look in his eyes is filled with agony. Narumi wonders, not for the first time, if half his world would always exist in dreams.

Misaki eventually stands up and pushes him against the wall. He tries, desperately, to shout sense back into him but he can only stare back with empty eyes. He slides to the ground and starts crying and cackling, amused by his own madness and lost in hysteria.

"Narumi!" Misaki is yelling now. "Stop it. Narumi!"

He catches a glimpse of the shattered glass on the floor. In his mind, the glass resembles the broken ceramic vase that Yuka had so prized. The same white vase that had scarred her knees as she had begged him to stay. He begins shaking. The laughter has died in his chest. He becomes a sobbing heap.

"What have I done?"

"It's all right, Narumi," Misaki says, completely misunderstanding the cause of his misery. "I'm all right."

Narumi shakes his head. "What have I done?"

There is little more that Misaki could do. He leaves the broken man so that he himself could regain his composure. He turns his attention to the shards littering the floor. He is a shaken mess as well, seized with worry and fear. He sees the bloodstained box lying near the glass. Misaki carefully picks it up and wonders if the time to give this to Narumi is now.

"_That box…"_

Misaki glances over his shoulder and nearly dies of fright. Narumi is no longer alone. He is still sitting against the wall with a manic expression, but right behind him stands Yuka. She is caressing Narumi's cheek, but her gaze goes over his shoulder, as she begins to stare possessively at the box.

* * *

_ There are secrets we never mean to tell,_

_ until we are forced to reveal them._

_There are sins we never want to confess,_

_until we are doomed to repeat them._


	6. His Prison Cell

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 4. His Prison Cell – 589 words**

The room grows cold again, and suddenly Yuka is standing right in front of him with an outstretched hand. Misaki rears back.

_"Give me that box,"_ she says almost frantically. _"It should be somewhere he would never find. He shouldn't see this. He mustn't see this."_

Even with the demon right in his face, Misaki clutches the box tightly and backs away. He feels as if his mind is playing a trick on him. He swipes at the apparition but feels nothing in the air directly in front of him. Yuka has disappeared as quickly as she had attacked.

Misaki continues to stare at the place where Yuka had been standing. Narumi gazes at him in silence and mortification as he tries to gather his voice.

"You saw her, didn't you?"

"What was—?" He couldn't form a coherent sentence. "Why was— why was _she_ here?"

Narumi laughs. His voice is raspy and unnatural, as though it had not been used for some time. "She's always here." He points to his head. He points to his heart. He gestures all around the room. "Here… here… and here."

"Oh, Narumi..."

"It's becoming more frequent, and now that you've seen her too," Narumi mutters, "it's coming to an end. I know it."

"We'll move you. We'll take you somewhere else where the demons can't find you."

"If I thought I could escape, I wouldn't still be standing here. Neither would you."

"We have to try—"

"Misaki…" Narumi croaks out. "It's coming back— all of it. She won't ever leave me. She's making me pay for everything."

Misaki did not know what to say. What could he say to Narumi to turn it all around, to restore his peace of mind? Narumi seems to be broken beyond repair and he was playing an active role in his own destruction.

"Time is running out for me, old friend."

"I know."

"I need to end this. I can't run from the blood on my hands. Not now. Not ever."

"I… know," he says again.

Narumi stares at his hands again, as if they were tainted with something ugly. A wild look appears in his eyes, and he grabs a blood-stained glass shard from the floor. Misaki stares at Narumi, shocked at the scene playing out before him. He had known the man was broken but had never seen the true extent of it. Not up until that moment. Not like this.

"Narumi! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Misaki growls. It is his turn to lunge for his friend and Narumi struggles. Misaki wrestles the piece of glass out of his hands and throws it across the room. "Don't you dare take the cowardly way out!"

"Cowardly? You don't know what you're saying!" Narumi growls back, hot tears emerging from his eyes. "This may be the bravest thing I could do!"

Misaki recoils. His friend's deranged look betrays his true state of vulnerability. He shakes his head and hisses, "No. You're not ending it this way. I won't let you."

Narumi lets out a bestial, inhuman scream, his voice resonating throughout the hospital. He rushes to the window, in an attempt to jump out of it but it is locked and latched from the outside. He begins hitting the windowsill with his closed fists. He shakes it from its rafters and the pounding echoes into the night.

* * *

_ A beast is ensnared in a trap._

_ He cannot get away._

_ A beast is howling to the moon._

_ He is begging to be slain._


	7. Interlude 2

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Interlude 2: Transcript – 851 words**

**Therapy Session No. 15 between Dr. Hiroshi Yamazaki , Ms. Yuka Azumi and Mr. Narumi L. Anju **

**Transcribed by: **Dr. Makoto Hyuuga, assistant to Dr. Yamazaki

**Date: **December 15th, 2011

**Time Start: **14:10:23

**Time End: **14:42:10

**Brief: **Dr. Hiroshi Yamazaki, consulting therapist of Ms. Yuka Azumi, has proposed and introduced a calming object to be used in Ms. Azumi's sessions, in order to allow for more effective therapy sessions after repeated episodes of violence and instability in previous sessions. Ms. Azumi, diagnosed with MDD/BD, is currently in what seems to be a manic episode, and is extremely agitated. Continued instability has prevented Ms. Azumi from leaving the asylum, and she is still staying in a ward in Christheaven.

_**Note: **__Transcript begins upon introduction of music box, due to discussion of personal details prior that would not be relevant to this report. What should be noteworthy about this session is the unexplained effect of the calming object on both Ms. Azumi and Mr. Anju._

**Hiroshi Yamazaki (HY): **Miss Azumi, today I am going to introduce something that will hopefully allow me to communicate better with you.

**Yuka Azumi (YA): **Do we really need to do this? I'm fine, I tell you. I'm perfectly fine. Leave me alone!

(Ms. Azumi rises from chair, fists balled.)

**HY: **Miss Azumi, I need you to relax. These therapy sessions are designed to help you control your emotions. Please, sit back down, and listen to me. That would be much appreciated.

**Narumi Anju (NA): **Listen to the good Doctor, Yuka. Please.

**HY: **Yes, please listen to Narumi. I mean you no harm.

(Ms. Azumi returns to seat, fidgeting.)

**YA: **Alright, I'll listen— only because Naru told me to do so, but still. I'll listen.

**HY: **Okay then, Miss Azumi. Would you kindly take a look at this?

(The doctor moves to a bag on the floor, and removes a smooth, wooden box. Intricate carvings are set into it, and it seems old but well-preserved.)

**HY: **This may not work, but I'm hoping that this item will serve as a relaxant of sorts, so that we can conduct our therapy sessions in a less controlled and formal environment. I've used music before, on my other patients, and it has proven rather effective in calming them down. Do you know what this is, Miss Azumi?

(Ms. Azumi leans forward, a curious look in her face. She stares at the box, and Dr. Yamazaki pushes the box over towards her.)

**YA: **It's a music box, isn't it?

**HY: **Yes. Please open it.

(Ms. Azumi moves a hand forward to open the box, as Dr. Yamazaki observes keenly, a notepad and pen in his hand.)

(She opens the music box, and a hauntingly melodic tune begins to play.)

(A profound change is observed in Ms. Azumi. She smiles lightly, and her shoulders begin to relax, as if suddenly comfortable. She is no longer agitated. A similar change is observed in Mr. Anju, whose once tense posture is similarly shifting into a much more relaxed one.)

**YA: **The tune is beautiful, Doctor. And please, stop calling me Miss Azumi. You may call me Yuka.

**HY: **Alright then, Yuka. How are you feeling now?

**YA: **Much better than I've been in months, Doctor. This music is magical. It's incredible.

(The doctor scribbles frantic notes down at this point then looks up.)

**HY: **I'm glad the box's magic is working then. Are you now ready to discuss some of the circumstances surrounding your condition and emotions?

**YA: **Yes, and I think Naru will be able to help with this. He seems to be feeling better, too.

(Mr. Anju walks over and places a loving hand on Ms. Azumi's shoulder.)

**NA: **Yes, I am. I'm not sure what it is about this music, but I feel really, really calm. Thank you very much, Doctor.

**HY: **Much obliged. It is, after all, my job to help you with your issues. Now, are you ready to get into the main focus of this session, Yuka?

(At that moment, the music stops.)

**YA: **Wind up the box again, Doctor. Let it play.

**HY: **We were about to proceed with the therapy, Yuka. Would you like to do so?

(Ms. Azumi rises, flipping the table over. Narumi rushes forward, hoping to calm her down. His tense demeanour has returned.)

**YA: **No, Doctor. I want my music. Give it to me. Let me hear it now!

(Ms. Azumi tries to tackle the Doctor down, and to grab the music box from his hands.)

**NA: **Yuka, _no_!

**Transcript ends here.**

**Transcriber's Notes: **Patient Yuka Azumi had to be restrained and sedated at that point. As the scribe, even I had to get up from my position and assist Narumi and the other nurses in holding her down. Further therapy with the music box and additional observation will have to be put in place to determine the effects of the music box on Yuka Azumi and by extension, Narumi L. Anju.

As of now, however, there is no explainable cause for the effect of the box on these two patients.

-Dr. H.


	8. The Good Doctor

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 5. The Good Doctor – 741 words**

The door to the ward opens, and a bespectacled doctor dressed in immaculate white, walks in. The doctor coldly and calmly approaches Narumi, a stern and mildly bemused look on his face.

"It's hopeless. Those windows are locked," Subaru, Narumi's current doctor, says pointedly as he walks in and over the shards of broken glass like they were nothing to him. He heads towards Narumi then slows to a stop. "What are you doing? It's a miracle you're even standing, much less awake. You're supposed to be on an extremely potent sedative."

His professional tone is unnerving. Slowly, Narumi's shoulders sag. He returns to the bed, his face resuming a blank stare as his emotions and inner thoughts begin to devour him again.

Subaru glances around the room. "What a mess," he mutters under his breath. He pushes a button to summon some nurses to help him clean up. "We're going to have to sedate you again, Narumi. Do rest well this time."

A nurse washes her hands, takes a syringe, and injects Narumi with it. Misaki stands quietly at one end of the room, watching the scene unfold. It all seemed so mundane after everything else that happened that night. He takes the bloodstained box, excuses himself then leaves. Narumi doesn't notice his departure and soon the world fades to black for him.

Subaru notices the drops of blood near the doorway. The sight proves to be almost bone chilling for the doctor as he turns away and analyses Narumi's now sedated body. Even in his sleep, Narumi holds the expression of someone facing his biggest fear. He should not have been able to move any part of his body, yet he notices Narumi's fingers curl. Clearly, he is a singular case.

Subaru leaves the room and locks it behind him. He heads for his office and, sure enough, Misaki is already there. The ornate box is on the table and he is clutching his wrist as though trying to cut off his bleeding hand from the rest of his body.

Misaki exhales, "He's being haunted, Subaru. The ghost of his past is eating at him. It's killing him slowly from the inside."

"And I'm assuming he tried to stab himself with that shard of glass in order to escape it," Subaru answers calmly.

"I had to take it away from him before he did anything dangerous." He shows Subaru his scarred, bloodied hand, raw and cut up from the short struggle moments before, and winces as Subaru prods at it.

"We'll have to get that treated before it gets infected," Subaru continues. He walks over to a medicine cabinet and brings out everything he needs to administer first aid. "Can you please enlighten me about this 'ghost of his past' you're talking about?"

Misaki is reluctant. "I don't think—"

"It _would_ help, since it's my job to treat your friend," Subaru replies, as he begins to bandage Misaki's hand.

"I disagree, doctor," he sighs. "I don't think it would make a difference. I don't think this ailment can be cured by modern medicine because—"

Misaki is interrupted, as the lights in the room grow dim and a chill rises in the air.

"What in the world...?" Subaru mutters, standing up after pinning up the bandage on Misaki's hand. He approaches the door and pokes his head into the hallway.

The whole building is dead silent as though all the inhabitants had gone home. Behind him, Misaki grips the side of his seat with his uninjured hand, and starts to break into a cold sweat. "I think you should stay away from that room."

Subaru, undeterred by Misaki's warning, approaches the door of Narumi's ward in a collected manner. After taking a deep breath, he pulls the door open, and is greeted by a blast of cold air. Narumi remains peacefully asleep on the bed, but what makes Subaru freeze is the figure that lay sprawled over him in a chilling embrace.

"_You're the doctor._"

The ghost lifts her head. Her hand still rests on Narumi's shoulder. Her curious, tentative tone stands in contrast to the sharp gaze she throws at him. Unlike Narumi and Misaki, Subaru manages to keep his voice steady— even though hysteria slowly creeps into his mind.

"And you're the lover."

* * *

_ We stand against the world._

_ You and I._

_ So take my hand and don't let go._

_ For if you do, I'll surely die._


	9. The Doctor's Mistake

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 6. The Doctor's Mistake – 594 words**

"And you're the lover."

Yuka wears an ominous smile. _"Lover. That sounds very strange now."_

Subaru holds his ground. He has never argued with a ghost before. Ghosts, spectres and apparitions defy logic. He has always thought so.

_"You believe I shouldn't exist."_

He starts. "Are you able to read minds?"

She laughs. _"You men of science, with all your facts and research— you think everything can be explained by your intellect. You don't realize just how predictable all of you are."_

"You've been watching me."

_"You've been treating Narumi. Of course I have."_

Subaru swallows, as everything clicks into place.

Once, Narumi had raged at him, laughing and crying in frenzy. He had repeatedly pointed around the therapy room, talking about his dead lover and how she was arguing with him at every turn. In the end, Narumi had to be sedated, but even in his sleep he would cry and plead for forgiveness. Subaru had watched him with ill-concealed pity, believing it to be nothing but the ravings of a madman. Clearly, he had been wrong.

"Narumi's stories and everything he had said in his therapy sessions were true. It hadn't been delirium. You truly _were_ haunting him."

_"Yes, doctor."_

"He could be cured," Subaru realizes, "If you would just leave him alone."

_"Perhaps, you may be right. He probably could be."_

Yuka's smirk does not fade, and her reply remains cold and detached.

Perhaps it would have been better if Subaru had learned to submit to fear in his youth. If he had done so, back then, he would not have been so careless now. Instead, the curiosity in him succeeds and instead of running away, instead of going for help in a building that was already near deserted, he steps forward to continue conversing with this spirit, this anomaly of science.

"How do you do it?" he asks, a mixture of inquiry and trepidation in his eyes. "How do you hold him the way he is?"

This time Yuka laughs. _"I thought you'd never ask."_

A sinister glint lights her eyes. She looks straight at Subaru then with a half-shriek she flies from the bed and jumps to him. He barely has time to react. He takes a step back but no further. Yuka phases right through him, disappearing. He suddenly loses control of his arms, as they begin to move to his neck. He starts to strangle himself.

A voice in his head whispers. _"How does it feel, doctor? How does it feel, to know that you are not alone in this pitiful mind of yours?"_

He feels choked. He struggles.

_"How does it feel to be completely at my mercy?"_

Subaru falls to the ground, but his own hands continue to attack him.

_"Narumi is insane, just as you'll find yourself driven insane before I'm done."_

He starts pleading. He has lost all composure and begs her to stop.

"_You know too much. You cannot live_."

Subaru tries to break free but his efforts are in vain. He eventually falls to his knees on the cold ground and in his mind, he desperately pleads for mercy.

"_I never received a second chance before my death and neither will you_."

His disembodied grip upon his neck is tightened in a burst of inhuman strength, and Subaru collapses to the ground. In the next minute, he lays on the floor, not breathing.

The good doctor has died.

* * *

_The heart knows what it wants._

_ Wisdom always comes too late._

_ The mind could play tricks on us._

_ We're servants to our fate._


	10. Interlude 3

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Interlude 3: From the Journal of Narumi L. Anju – 604 words**

_**June 1, 2012**_

_I sometimes wonder how it feels to be dead— if it's a dark sea of imaginary piranhas nipping and knowing at your feet without mercy, or if it's a crystal clear ocean of peace and time showing you your whole life not in a nutshell, but as a slow motion reminiscent of both the impacting moments and the small happenings that make up your life._

_But it seems that I will still be left in the dark about what there is on the other side._

_The doctors have informed me today that in order to get better, I must move away from this place to another hospital miles away. I'm not that concerned about leaving this hospital. In fact, I dread the off-white, peeling wallpaper and the vomit green curtains of my hospital room, in addition to the sour smell that invades my nostrils. Every time I wake to find myself in this damn place, I am disgusted. _

_Yes, disgusted is the right word._

_But I still feel terrible. I must leave in order to get 'better', according to those know-it-all doctors, but I don't want to leave her..._

_I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YUKA._

_I need her with me and she needs me too. But when I asked the doctors, they denied my request for her to be transferred along with me. Apparently, she does not need to move. They say that she is fine and well as is. I cannot see what is fine about her being here without me._

_They don't know anything about her. They don't know how she's really feeling. They don't know what's really going through her mind, and how much pain she's in._

_The doctors have NO IDEA._

_No matter how much I tried to convince them, they won't listen to me. According to them, I was the one who needed the treatment instead of her. They don't understand that neither science nor medicine would be able heal completely. _

_I think that I'd really become insane if I ever left her alone._

_And I am sure that she would as well._

_The doctors would never agree with me. As my temper burst, and I started to run and shout in what they called 'another temperamental fit of insanity', they tried to soothe me by opening the music box._

_...I stopped, like they had expected. But they would never know about the turmoil that I did not cease to feel from within, nor would they eventually realise that one day, even the music box would work against me._

_However, I am now calm. I will go with the belief that my transfer cannot be helped. I shall leave this hospital, and I WILL get better as fast as I can so that I can come back here, for one reason only._

_This is the only opportunity I have to be by Yuka's side— not as a crippled, estranged patient, but a strong, dependable guardian and lover._

_All I can do now is hope for the best— that I can heal over time, and Yuka will too, so I can be there for her when that day finally comes. I will hope that Yuka understands why I have accepted this offer to transfer and that absolutely nothing— not even death— will break our unbreakable bond._

_...No. I won't hope. I know nothing will break between us._

_Because I love her_

[**Archive Note:** There is a messy glob of ink where the sentence— still unfinished— ends. This journal was found two days after it was written, with pages covered in ash and edges burned from a fire.]


	11. Bargaining

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 7. Bargaining – 518 words**

Misaki appears in the hallway holding on to the ornate box. He opens the door to Narumi's room and is greeted by the lifeless corpse of Subaru. Yuka has returned to the bed and is now sitting on Narumi's chest. The red marks on the young doctor's neck are enough for Misaki to understand what has happened. He crouches down and feels for a pulse. Nothing. Subaru's corpse is as cold as the air in the room. He closes Subaru's eyes then stands again.

"Yuka, what have you done?"

She slowly turns to him. _"He had to die. Like me, he had to perish."_

"You're supposed to be dead!" Misaki's speech is hoarse and frightened. "You were beyond saving!"

"_Beyond saving?"_ Yuka's whisper now adopts a more sarcastic tone. _"Was that really what you thought, or what you wanted him to believe?"_

"I thought you loved Narumi!" His voice is desperate as he looks at the sleeping man beneath Yuka.

_ "Once! I did love him once!"_ she sneers back. She trails her fingers slowly along Narumi's neckline in a possessive and cynical caress.

"Then why are you doing this to him?!"

_ "Because he left me!" _Yuka jumps off the bed and glides to him. _"You knew I could be saved. You knew, but you took him away and he willingly abandoned me to my death. Do you know what agony feels like, Misaki?"_

"Yes, I know what agony feels like, only because I've seen Narumi stand by your side for years." His voice hardens. "He watched you and took care of you, forgetting himself and the fact that he too had his own demons. He wasn't strong enough for both of you. You should have known that too."

Yuka bursts out in unsuppressed laughter. _"I should've known. The agony you speak of isn't even your own. You don't know anything."_

Instead of responding, Misaki holds out the box in front of him. Yuka stops approaching and stares. He wonders if giving it to her would be enough. Was she even corporeal enough to touch it?

The look on her face suddenly becomes benign. The fire in her eyes settles somehow. That is when he realizes that the box still held a power over her— a power not lost in death. She had wanted it for herself, and not just because she knew Narumi needed it to get better. It had been her greatest treasure, and it had remained so, even in the afterlife.

_"Give it to me."_

He is about to surrender by handing over the box but then he hears a groan behind her. Narumi starts to stir. They both freeze. Misaki's grip on the box grows tight and he pulls back. Yuka recoils at the motions. She opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by Narumi's stirring. They both hear Narumi speak. It is his turn to call to her.

"Yuka..."

* * *

_Somewhere in my youth, I met you._

_ It was the happiest day of my life._

_ Then somewhere as an adult you left me._

_ And I cursed you all the days of my life._


	12. An Awakening

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 8. An Awakening – 521 words**

In a world separate from reality, Narumi is surrounded by fire, glass and blood— the three things that haunted him night and day ever since he turned his back on her. Her name repeatedly echoes in his head. Every step he takes results to a crunch under his feet. Every flicker of a flame scalds his skin. Every drop of blood makes him scream.

He is searching for the exit— something he has never been able to find in these dreams. He is looking for an answer, though that evades him too. He is searching for a face and an object, both are within reach if he just stretches out a hand and grabs it.

It seems easy but that is merely an illusion. Something prevents him from reaching for freedom and it is too strong to overcome. The past has a tight grip on him because he remains unwilling to let go, and he recognizes his folly for contributing to his own imprisonment. He knows, in the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, that he has been a willing captive to Yuka. It alleviates his guilt and so he continues to dance with a ghost, giving her more power over him each night. This subservience gives her life. She feeds on him and is slowly starting to feed on those around him.

Somewhere in the waking world, he senses Subaru has fallen. His heart shatters yet again. Dimly, he hears Misaki enter the room and he is conversing, reasoning with Yuka. He can sense his sight begin to fail him— both in dreams and reality. The image of the flames starts to blur. He can see the departure of the person he is trying to reach; the object that would give him lucidity is also disappearing from his sight. She carries it in her hands as she takes flight. She is leaving him behind.

Narumi opens his mouth to call out her name but he is unable to make a single sound. The dream is about to end again. He has failed at this an infinite number of times.

_Not this time,_ he thinks. _This time, for sure, I must reach her_.

So he fights off his demons, and screams until his throat is hoarse. He runs into the fire in his subconscious. He reaches for her and grabs a hand, a blade, anything. This time he embraces her before she can stab herself and then he feels them start to burn together. The shock of the fire is enough to send him spiralling back to his senses.

Narumi wakes.

He sits up with a start, looking like the lunatic everyone believes him to be. He looks around wildly. His breath hitches when the first thing he sees is Subaru's lifeless body lying flat on the hard floor. His attention shifts to Misaki's bewildered expression and then it finally rests on Yuka— standing as firmly as a ghost could stand on solid ground.

"Yuka, what have you done?"

* * *

_We rise and fall together._

_ We take things as they are._

_ People called me a madman._

_ The truth was never that far._


	13. Interlude 4

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Interlude 4: From the Alice Times – 323 words**

**ASYLUM IN FLAMES; SUSPECTED SUICIDE**

_By Yuu Tobita, _02 June 2012

A woman, Yuka Azumi, was found dead within the burnt remains of her hospital room late evening yesterday. The entire North Wing of Christheaven Asylum, the asylum that Azumi apparently was institutionalized in, was reportedly set on fire, in what the Press has been informed to be an act of arson.

There have been no confirmed fatalities, aside from the perpetrator.

The Police are looking into this case, and have stated that one confirmed witness has been identified. This reporter has been led to believe that the aforementioned eyewitness is her long-term boyfriend.

Contrary to the official Police statement, other sources have also led this reporter to concur that the fire occurred as a result of a domestic dispute with above mentioned boyfriend, which escalated out of control, leading her to set herself ablaze in a tragic suicide.

Yuka Azumi has been confirmed, in an interview with her doctor early this morning, to be a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder.

The official Police investigation has not been released, but the perpetrator had purportedly been stabbed before setting herself on fire, according to unofficial sources.

"We are still waiting for further information regarding this, and will be questioning the witness as soon as he regains consciousness," a Police spokesperson mentioned this morning.

Said witness was brought to a nearby hospital yesterday night, and is reported to have fainted from trauma, asphyxiation, and minor burns.

The witness is currently under Police protection, and this reporter was unable to gain access to interview him, though he has been reported to be stable and conscious at the time of writing of this article.

Doctors and investigators will continue to examine Yuka Azumi's remains before an official autopsy report is released on Monday.

Her remains will then be delivered to her relatives for proper burial.

Relatives of Yuka Azumi have declined to give any statements to the press.


	14. Into Hell We Go

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 9. Into Hell We Go – 508 words**

Yuka watches him with a shocked, yet demonic expression. Her altercation with Misaki is momentarily forgotten. Narumi staggers to his feet and finally stands up with the assistance of the bed frame. He reaches out to her, and she suddenly sees in him all the anguish she has made him suffer.

"Y-you need to stop this." Narumi's voice cracks. He points at her, and continues, "What do you want from me? I'll do anything."

Yuka huffs bitterly. She turns her attention to Misaki, and, for an instant, she catches sight of the box in his hands. She hesitates, clearly confused by the memories roused in her head. She fights off compassion and understanding. She meets Narumi's gaze and spits out her answer.

_ "Anything? Then kill yourself; a life for a life. If you had so willingly left me behind back then, the heartless bastard that you are, then your life is the only compensation I could possibly accept. There's a nice spot waiting for you in hell by the Devil's side."_

Yuka's smirk widens as she approaches Narumi with this proposal. She leans forward, until her face is only inches from his. Her stare is challenging and intimidating. Narumi cannot bear to see such an expression being made by the woman he loved.

_Loves._

There is too much of that in his heart to ever think of her in the past tense. Unlike their previous encounter, however, he remains immovable.

"...Perhaps there are pretty good reasons why I should go to hell. You'd be there, for one."

Yuka's smile is as wispy as the rest of her. She holds out her hand to welcome him. _"Then don't hesitate. Come with me."_

"But I wonder if those memories would return when I step into the fire." He speaks, without breaking eye contact.

_ "It will be fine because I'll be right by your side."_

"...It will be fine. Of course."

"Narumi, no!"

Misaki throws himself at Narumi when he sees that Yuka is about to possess him. They fall over into a messy tangle of limbs. Yuka watches with a devilish grin.

"You can't do this!" Misaki shouts.

"Let me be!" Narumi cries as they thrash about. "I'm doing this for Yuka!"

"And I'm doing this for you!"

Narumi tries to push his friend off him, but Misaki grabs the collar of his hospital gown and struggles with him.

"I'm not letting you die, Narumi! Not while I watch!"

Finally, after struggling with it for so long, Misaki grabs the box that had slid across the floor and shoves it into his friend's hands.

_"No!"_ Yuka cries.

Narumi pauses and looks at it with curiosity. He opens it and immediately sweet, melodic music fills the room. His eyes begin to clear. Misaki sees that Yuka has backed away too and she looks far less vengeful than she had mere minutes before.

* * *

_ This is the last of our dances. _

_This is the end of it all._

_ If you lead me through the steps,_

_ this is the last time we will fall._


	15. The Music Box

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Part 10. The Music Box – 554 words**

The music box, ever the catalyst that returns them to sanity, plays on. The effect the song has on them is peculiar. It always pulled them out of their madness and thrust their actions into the glaring light of reason. Once, Narumi had wished to no longer be dependent on that box. He left her and the music box disappeared with him. That had been the end for Yuka.

Yuka and Narumi pause. Both look rational and calm for the first time in a long while. She reaches out to hold the box. Narumi hands it to her willingly. Instead of her hands passing through, she is able to touch it and hold it up so that they could listen to the melody together. For a moment, Yuka looks entirely corporeal.

"Lucid as we ever will be," Narumi begins as he feels a burning in his chest. "Tell me the truth, Yuka. Why have you haunted me all this time?"

_ "I don't have to explain myself to you."_

"You stab yourself. You torch your own room. You kill Subaru. Don't these things require an explanation?"

_"I don't have to explain,_" she repeats. _"You should understand. You left me, Narumi. I was lonely and angry."_

"I left to get well," he whispers. "Are you so hard of heart that you couldn't see that?"

For the first time, Yuka looks pained. _"Yes, that's the truth of it. That's the love I know, Narumi. It's selfish. It's absolute. It's mine to give or take."_

"And with your selfish love, you'd have damned us all," Narumi answers. He feels his wit return to him completely. He can see the past and his dreams with clarity. He shoots a look at Misaki before returning his attention to Yuka.

"It's time we end this," he says. "You and I love very differently."

_ "What do you mean?"_

Narumi steps towards her. "I loved you and in the depths of my soul, I know I still do. If it will give us peace, reach for me. Put your hands around me and squeeze the life out of me."

There had not even been a pause to let his words sink in. Yuka, tearful, regretful, yet unforgiving all at once, steps forward to embrace Narumi. Her hands slide up his chest then wrap around his throat.

"Narumi, no!" Misaki shouts.

But he only smiles and envelopes Yuka in his arms until they both expire.

Misaki watches in horror as Narumi falls to the ground, lifeless. With this, Yuka vanishes at last. The room settles and a quiet pervades the entire room.

Light filters through the window as dawn finally breaks. Misaki stands in the middle of the room, his eyes as lifeless as the two corpses surrounding him. Yet, what he feels sharply is the absence of Yuka, that vengeful spirit that had wrought so much havoc on the living. He falls to the floor then belatedly starts to weep. For Narumi and Subaru. For Yuka and for himself. For everything that happens when people live half in dreams and half in contrition.

Somewhere in the room, the music box is still playing and the lyrics echo in his head.

* * *

_ Somewhere faraway, there was music._

_ And the music never grew faint._

_ Somewhere faraway, there was Death._

_ And it claimed everyone in its way._


	16. Interlude 5

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Interlude 5: Medical Report – Misaki – 378 words**

**Medical Report:**

Date: 1st March, 2013

Time: 1640 hours

Written By: Dr. Rei Serio

Patient: Misaki, T

Patient, Mister T. Misaki, was admitted to Christheaven Asylum in the aftermath of the events that occurred in the asylum two weeks prior to the writing of this report. In the wake of the double suicide of one of the doctors (Dr. Subaru Imai) and another patient, his best friend Narumi L. Anju, in his presence, psychiatrists immediately feared for his mental health.

After counselling in order to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder, he was released two days later. However, he was readmitted into the asylum after a sudden panic attack while he was making his way home on the very same day.

In his short stay in the asylum after he was readmitted, what was most disturbing about him was that he began to display the same hysteria-depression mix that was prevalent in the above-mentioned patient, Narumi L. Anju, who had died by asphyxia. In the week that followed, the patient became much more unresponsive and antisocial as time passed, with increasingly frequent periods of sobbing and depression.

What is of note here is that Misaki displayed the very same symptoms that the patient, Narumi L. Anju did during his stay in the asylum.

A common topic in his rambling was about how he had been haunted by ghosts, and that he was guilty over his friend's death.

On the morning of 28th February, 2013, T. Misaki, after a prolonged period of refusal to eat and drink, was found passed out and electrocuted in his room. He had tried to kill himself via electrocution, plugging two syringe needles into the electric socket.

Although he had failed, he was left with minor burns all over his body, and left in a coma. He is currently in a state of catatonia and is unresponsive.

Additional follow-up will be required, if he regains consciousness, as the police are looking for witnesses and a testimony regarding the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of both Dr. Imai and Mister Anju.

He is presumed to be in an unstable state of mind, and will be held in the asylum until he recovers and/or regains consciousness.

_-Dr. S. Rei, Attending Psychiatrist_


	17. Epilogue

**The Haunted**

* * *

**Epilogue. Valediction – 120 words**

_Dear Reader,_

_We thank you for your interest and sympathy for these beloved characters. Today, on the anniversary of Yuka's death, we pause and pay our respects._

_In parting, we leave you with three significant notes…_

_It was impossible to do a complete autopsy on Yuka's body yet the circumstances of her death were written in full detail._

_It was impossible to know Narumi's last dreams, but there are records of it in the Asylum._

_It is impossible to die by self-strangulation, yet Narumi and Subaru passed away._

_And with these impossibilities we leave you with our last hypothesis: There must have been someone else in the room. We suspect it to be you._

_We remain,_

_Schadenfreude_

**THE END**


End file.
